If you haven’t started your home garden, now is the time to do it. Our church web site, www.providentliving.org has a large section on gardening under “provident living”, including info such as: acquiring seeds, selecting a gardening site, selecting crops, planting your garden, when to plant, preparing the soil, fertilizing, watering, preventing pests & disease….and more. If you do not have access to the internet, visit you local library and use theirs. If you are not “computer literate”, speak to your ward preparedness rep (me) and they can give you the info you need.
Gardening can be as small as planting vegetables in a pot on your balcony, and as large as planting a large garden in your back yard. If you have limited space for fruit trees, consider planting the types of trees that have 2 or more types of fruits grafted together. Dwarf trees are also an option in this scenario. Try to buy “heirloom” vegetable seeds at the store. If they go to seed (flower), you can collect the seeds and plant them the following year, thereby having an endless supply of garden seeds.
“Planting a garden, even a small one, allows for a greater degree of self-reliance…”. President Hinckley and other Latter-day prophets have counseled Church members to become more self-reliant. Members should be able to provide adequately for their own needs and should be in a position to support themselves and their families in the midst of economic uncertainty, political unrest, or natural disaster. “In the environment in which we live today, we all should be looking to greater self-sufficiency, a greater spirit of self-reliance, a greater desire to take care of ourselves and our own.” Gordon B. Hinckley, “Reach Out In Love and Kindness”, Ensign, Nov. 1982, 76.
Beans, Legumes: Beans are an important part of our food storage. Our bodies need to consume protein and in times of hardship, protein, in the form of meat, eggs & cheese, may not be easily obtainable. Beans contain protein, and in fact, contain protein without all the bad cholesterol that meat, eggs & cheese contain. Check the protein content to obtain the best beans or legumes for your situation.
Sprouts: Sprouting seeds offer a way to quickly grow additional fresh vegetables. They are very nutritional. Sprouted seeds can have increased nutritients from 2-60 times the amount of the seed itself. Care must be taken to buy quality seeds and care must be taken to wash and handle them properly. One place sprouts may be purchased is at Jimbo’s.
Activity announcement!
Provident Living Starting Party
Thursday March 31, 2011
7:00 pm at Sis. Beaumont's Home
email me for the address.
Bring a paper egg carton (and egg shells, if you can)
We'll learn all about starting our own little food storage garden from Lisa Beaumont!
Seeds, Soil, and Snacks will be provided.
RSVP to Tess Frame at (626) 905-4716
Starting a garden can seem scary. It's a big project that can be tough to start on your own. So I decided to hold a Starting Party this month, as gardening is the theme of March. This way, we can all learn from each other's skills and start our own little sprouts. If there are any specific seeds that you would like to plant, you can bring your own to share (a packet is only $2 or so).
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